OUR BEHAVIORAL HOLINESS

Today I am going to continue with the same focus as last weeks session, but we are going to look at what is called "Behavioral Holiness". Beginning with the same scriptures in Philippians:

Philippians 1: 9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 1:27 only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come to see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, striving together for the faith of the gospel

Last week we looked at our position of holiness, a position not based on our merit, our accomplishments but on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Today we are going to look at our lifestyle and how we live, what we say, how we behave reflects who we believe in. When the unbeliever sees us what do they see? The world or Jesus? Though we are not perfect, we are to reflect the light of Christ to all we come in contact with. The light of Christ is hard to see in someone who is filled with more darkness than Holy Spirit. 

There is a biblical principle of "putting off and putting on". This is an ongoing process known in the church as sanctification, a process that may look different in different people, we do not all mature at the same time, and we must be very careful not to compare ourselves with others and others with ourselves. This process happens the more we renew our minds with the word of God. Now renewing does not mean gaining more knowledge, this renewing takes that knowledge with understanding and transforms us to be more like Christ. Too often Christians remain babes in Christ because they do not spend time in His word and they do not put off and put on. Let's look at some scriptures.

Colossians 3:8-10 But now you yourselves are to put off all these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.

I suggest you open your word and read all of Colossians chapter 3.

Romans 6:11-12 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Jesus died that the power of sin would no longer have control over us. Since we have been set free from the bondage and slavery of sin, our lifestyle, our words, our thought life, our actions should no longer reflect the sin nature we once had, but the new nature will now be evident in our lives. The evidence of this new nature is called fruit. Which we read in Philippians 1:11 called fruits of righteousness.

Romans 6:21-22 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

In Philippians 1:27 it says let our conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. The gospel of Christ is the good news, Christ the Son of God has come, He came to reconcile us to God the Father and give us eternal life, that life began the moment we were born again into the family of God. So the question we must ask ourselves, "Does my conduct reflect the One who came to give me eternal life?" Or "Am I still living life controlled by my old nature?"

1 Peter 1:14-16 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance,  but as He who called you is holy, also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy.

1 John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself,  just as He is pure.

Again I am not proclaiming "perfection" I am declaring a daily transformation of our lives. As we pursue God we also should pursue a godly lifestyle. So many other scriptures that talk about putting off the works of the flesh, submitting unto God and resisting the devil, walking in the spirit and not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh.  Looking back at Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 33:13 When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity he has committed, he shall die.

Just as we must know that our righteousness cannot bring us salvation, we must also understand each day we make a decision "Today I will live my life pleasing God."

One more verse in Ezekiel that really spoke to me; how often have we said "God that's not fair!" Years ago and maybe last week (Smiling) I have said "God, that's just not fair, they seem to get by doing things, you never let me get by with." Yet, look at this verse:

Ezekiel 33:17 Yet the children of your people say,"The way of the LORD is not fair." But it is their way which is not fair.

God is just and He deals with us without partiality of persons yet with each of us He deals in our areas that He is removing and transforming. So at times in our finite minds it appears not fair. My own life example:

Before I became a Christian I had a filthy mouth, curse words would roll off my tongue without any hesitation.  When I became a Christian the first book I read was the book of James and chapter 3 leaped off the page at me and I noticed the first difference I saw in me was God touched my tongue and cleaned up my mouth. I began to do some teaching nothing major, then twelve years later out of anger over my failed marriage I began to run from God and what came back in my life was the filthy mouth. Then when I came back to the Lord in repentance, once more He touched my tongue and cleaned up my mouth, and I began to teach. As I would hear other Christians language I would say "Lord, why do they get by with it and I didn't?" That takes me back to a verse I had not paid close attention to as a new Christian, but it explains a lot.

James 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

There it was, God had given me the gift of teaching, and my mouth could not bring forth both fresh and bitter water.  For me to be used of God as He intended, to hear Him and speak His truth He had to touch my unclean lips as He did with Isaiah so I might be able to use my voice to bring Him glory.

In Ephesians 5:27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

In the verse 26 we are told we are sanctified and cleansed with the washing of water by the word. This cleansing also becomes part of our responsibility not God's.

Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife has made herself ready.

Next week we look at chapter 2 in Philippians. Have a blessed week